MFOUND: Jaspers as student teachers

PS 81’s test scores indicate roughly half the students meet or exceed state academic standardsa very respectable showing especially compared to other Bronx schools. Still, city Education Department evaluations of the school cite slightly below-average student progress compared to similar schools.

Many teachers have years of experience but at the time of our visit more than half a dozen were new, including several Manhattan College graduates who had worked as student teachers at PS 81. A young teacher said she feels like a fully contributing member of the staff. “We get heard just as equally,” she said.

Principal Anna Kirrane was assistant principal at PS 81 for nine years before taking over in October 2012. She arrives at 6:30 am each day to be available to anyone with concerns, and takes the time to greet parents who drop by. Kirrane attended boarding school in Ireland as a girl, and is of Irish heritage. She urges all parents to “share your rich heritage with your child.”